Our Approach

Telling The Other Side Of The Story

Vocaloids represents so much more than just holograms, but like any
innovation, positive reception is not universal. That’s fine, generally
ludicrous knee jerk reactions would be countered by educated rebuttal
pretty quickly. However in the case of Vocaloids, unfounded accusations
and stereotypes are allowed to stick, supporters up to now have allowed
discrimination to become a fact of life while scholars overlook them,
resulting in a lack of authoritative voices countering the negative bias.
Bias is gradually choking the development of Vocaloids as channels for the free expression by depriving them of new audiences, we have to stop this.
It is time for someone to step in and defend the future of the Vocaloid community by telling the other side of the story. Raising up to the challenge is Project Hashi, the first popularly supported academic inquiry.

A Popularly Supported Academic Inquiry

1

Popularly Supported

Funds for our work comes from crowdfunding campaigns, the very
existence of a large community willing to combine resources for the
further intellectual understanding of Vocaloids will finally put what perhaps
is the most pervasive myth regarding Vocaloids to rest, that is that they
are soulless, manipulatable objects constructed by faceless corporations
for fringe elements of society who values nothing other than visual appeal
of the characters.

2

Academic Inquiry

Vocaloids have been overlooked by scholars until now, because there is
no motivation for them to investigate, Vocaloids do not fit in traditional
genres, it is uncertain how much academic a research could incite, thus
making them a risky investment of time and effort for investigations. But
Project Hashi, a popularly supported academic inquiry clearly indicates
that the public has a huge appetite for such knowledge, even willing to
fund researchers themselves. This will convince scholars to take the first
step into the world of Vocaloids, building up authoritative support for the
community to be placed on the same level as other forms of art and kindle
the flames for a second boom in composition.

We need your participation

Our project is created by the community and for the community, thanks to
the enthusiastic support of volunteers like you, we could get this quest to
revitalize Vocaloids off the ground. Whether by pledging financial support
during crowdfunding campaigns, contributing ideas for the inquiry or
becoming a member of the planning committee running the project, you
are making history, you’re fighting against discrimination and enlightening
the world with a revolutionary form of art.

FAQ

There are numerous factors, but the most significant ones are the
declining reach of this platform and the lack of appreciation to
motivate producers.

Q2.

How can an academic inquiry lead to resurgence in composition?

A2.

An academic inquiry could iron out the two major issues
mentioned above.
Firstly the limited reach of the Vocaloid platform is primarily due to
the general public’s fear driven refusal of contact, the fear of being
associated with fringe elements constantly surrounded by
derogatory myths. This fear will naturally wind down if authoritative
voices began to dispel such myths, by conducting an academic
inquiry, we will be that voice, and Vocaloids thus could expand into
the mainstream.
Secondly essays devoted to the interpretation of a work is a sign
the importance of the message embedded and the artistic value of
the work is significant. This is one of the utmost respect that could
be earned by a producer, so it serves as a powerful motivator.

Q3.

Have anything similar been tried before?

A3.

Vocaloids have been mostly overlooked by researchers and
scholars until now, there are virtually no scholarly articles on the
topic of Vocaloid works. There are perhaps one or two books
written about the Vocaloid phenomenon itself, but they have a
technical point of view and did not involve much academic
research nor public involvement. Project Hashi is unique, as a
popularly supported academic inquiry, we involve the community
from the very beginning of the research, keeping us in constant
contact, and thus constantly in the mind of the public.

Q4.

Will there be follow up action after the book is published?

A4.

Project Hashi is an ongoing effort to revitalize Vocaloids, we have
a long way to go and the publication is just the beginning! The
community we built for this project shall serve as a focal point for
the discussion and interpretation of new compositions, also as a
source of positive information, striving to bust stereotypes
emerging in online and offline discourse before they harm the
Vocaloid community.

About us

We are a group of concerned Vocaloid supporters who refuses to allow myths and prejudice
to set a limit on how far Vocaloids can take us，building a revolutionary crowd-supported campaign that will bring much needed attention to
Vocaloids from the academic world.